Minimally Invasive Surgery

Connecticut Children’s offers treatment modalities for endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery, as well as robotic surgery as part of our minimally invasive surgery program. Minimally invasive techniques and technology allow some procedures to be performed more quickly, with less pain, smaller scars, and a faster recovery time. Pediatric patients recovering from surgery receive personalized care from specialists in pain management, occupational and physical therapy, nutrition and other areas.

Types of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery cannot be used in all pediatric surgery cases, but, when appropriate, these leading surgical techniques can significantly reduce the severity of surgery.

One of the most common minimally invasive procedures are G-tubes. For more information, please click here. 

Laparoscopy is surgery performed inside the abdomen through one or more very small incisions. The incision for a laproscopic procedure may be as small as a quarter-inch. Types of laparoscopic surgery include:

  • Adrenalectomy
  • Appendectomy
  • Cholecystectomy
  • Duodenoduodenostomy
  • Gastrostomy tubes
  • Nissen Fundoplication
  • Orchiopexy/Orchiectomy
  • Ovarian Cystectomy or Torsion
  • Pyloromyotomy
  • Splenectomy

Thoracoscopy is endoscopic surgery performed inside the chest through very small incisions. There are several kinds of thoracoscopy, including:

  • Aortopexy
  • Bleb resection and pleurodesis for spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
  • Drainage for empyema
  • Excision of bronchogenic cysts and duplication cysts
  • Excision of pulmonary sequestration
  • Lobectomy for congenital cystic adenomatoid malformations
  • Lung biopsy
  • Thymectomy

Bronchoscopy gives surgeons access into the airways through the nose or mouth in place of making an incision. A flexible bronchoscopy is done to diagnose or treat problems in the airways.

Esophagoscopy lets surgeons access the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, in order to diagnose or treat abnormalities in the esophagus without making an incision.

Robotic surgery is an innovative way to perform an operation. In certain procedures it offers shorter recovery time, less pain and improved visualization for the surgeon. This leads to more precise surgery. Our minimally invasive operating room is equipped with a state-of-the-art DaVinci robot. In pediatric surgery, our surgeons can control the robot through mechanical arms and optimized surgical tools from a console placed closely to the operating table giving them a magnified, high-definition, three-dimensional perspective of the operative field. Currently procedures such as inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy (removing the gallbladder), bariatric procedures, as well as gastrointestinal procedures can be done with the robot. Our team is paving the way for pediatric patients benefiting from the enhanced visualization and optimized tools that the robot offers.